Young philanthropist’s future bright

When Lyssa Jackson was growing up in Rochester, N.H., three square meals a day were never guaranteed.

Now a freshman at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, she doesn’t shy away from discussing her difficult childhood and talks comfortably about her parents, both of whom suffered from paranoid schizophrenia. She endured an especially difficult chain of events before her 10th birthday, including the deaths of her grandfather and father, which pushed her mother “over the edge.”

Jackson’s grandmother, Audrey, was granted legal guardianship. They moved to Keene, N.H., where Jackson was free a be a kid again.

Jackson received the 2012 Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy award late last year, which recognized her efforts to raise money and awareness for the Kurn Hattin Homes in Westminster, Vt. She attended the nonprofit school, which provides a safe and supportive environment for children in challenging situations, from fifth through eighth grade.

“I had a terrific time at Kurn Hattin, I think because it felt like a family,” said Jackson, who hasn’t declared a major at Skidmore but is leaning toward business or marketing. “I ate three meals a day and was able to go to school regularly. For once, I felt very safe.”

Jackson said she couldn’t get enough of activities like art, dancing, skiing, swimming, riding horses and just spending time with her roommates. After graduating from eighth grade, she earned a full scholarship to the Putney School, just up the road in Putney, Vt. The private, 230-student school also provided a homelike atmosphere.

During her junior year, Jackson was part of a fundraising initiative that netted more than $7,000 for relief efforts in Haiti. As a senior, she pushed for a local cause, wanting to give back to Kurn Hattin. She said few of her peers knew about the school.

“More than raising money, I wanted to create a relationship between the two schools,” said Jackson, a budding fiber artist and jewelry maker. “My goal was to educate people about Kurn Hattin and erase the stigma that it’s for troubled kids.”

Jackson gave a presentation about Kurn Hattin in front of a school assembly at Putney, explaining why it would make a worthy fundraising project. The school agreed and Jackson coordinated a community workday where students did odd jobs for $8 an hour, including “shoveling lama poop.” They raised more than $5,000.

When she’s not attending classes at Skidmore, Jackson lives with her grandmother in Keene. She has limited contact with her mother.

“I’m not sure what the future holds,” said Jackson, “but I’m interested in writing a memoir to share my story with others.”

Free to be a kid

Since 1894, Kurn Hattin Homes in Westminster, Vt. has helped thousands of disadvantaged children and their families by offering a safe home and quality education in a nurturing environment. For information about the nonprofit school, call (802) 722-3336 or click here.